Comparing yourself to others can be soul-crushing.
The trainers following Nozomi felt their entire lives had been wasted after hearing about his experiences.
Look at him—he didn't just have a powerhouse like Onix, he had also served as a League Investigator.
And what about them?
They had to rely on online guides just to muster the courage to challenge Pewter Gym.
Compared to Nozomi, their own efforts seemed trivial. The trainers looked at him with a mix of awe and respect.
"So, what do we do now?"
Yūji spoke up. "If Team Rocket's ahead, should we still go forward?"
Though he sounded hesitant, his expression betrayed none of the fear he should have felt. Instead, he looked eager, almost itching for action.
Everyone knew Team Rocket wasn't to be trifled with.
Their sudden appearance in Mt. Moon, combined with bribing the Mining Association to block the tunnels, clearly meant they had discovered something valuable—maybe rare Pokémon, maybe a vein of evolutionary stones.
Whatever it was, it promised immense profit.
Even a small scrap from following a top trainer could earn them a tidy sum.
As for Yuuji, he would usually have fled at the sight of Team Rocket, but the situation was different now.
With Nozomi leading them, Team Rocket no longer seemed so frightening.
"Of course we move forward. We've come this far; there's no way we're turning tail now," Nozomi said. "And honestly, even Team Rocket isn't that scary. With all of us here, are we really afraid of them?"
The trainers behind him nodded vigorously at his confident words.
Having sneaked past the Mining Association guards at the tunnel entrance, turning back now would be humiliating.
And as Nozomi said, with him leading the way, even if Team Rocket proved too strong, retreating unharmed was still possible.
Before their thoughts could settle, Nozomi continued:
"I had a bad feeling about those Mining Association people earlier, so I've already contacted Officer Jenny in Pewter City. She should be here soon. Everyone, don't worry."
His words were like a calming balm to the uneasy trainers.
With a top trainer leading, Officer Jenny providing backup, and the lure of potential rewards, there was no reason to hesitate.
Even if their own skills were lacking, they still had dreams.
"Let's do it! We follow the top trainer!"
One trainer called out, and the others quickly agreed.
With safety reasonably ensured, they didn't mind clashing with Team Rocket. In the future, they could boast about having faced them.
Nozomi nodded in satisfaction, seeing the trainers' morale lifted.
"Alright, let's go. Leafeon, guide us!"
Stowing Onix back into its Poké Ball, he sent out the keen-nosed Leafeon. Leading a group of dozens, Nozomi advanced in the direction of Team Rocket.
Deep Inside Mt. Moon
A group of Team Rocket grunts, dressed in their signature uniforms, directed their Pokémon to aggressively mine a cave.
"Hurry! Extract the Moon Stones from here!"
A Team Rocket officer barked orders.
"Yes, Captain!"
The grunts immediately commanded their Pokémon. Rock Slide, Double Kick, and Bullet Punch tore at the walls, exposing Moon Stones, which were quickly collected by other Rocket members waiting with crates.
"Thanks to the intelligence from the Chairman," the officer said to his companion.
"Scar, we're all serving the organization—no need for such flattery," came a slight smile from the shadows beneath a hat. It was Hikoji, the chairman Nozomi had met at the Pokémon Mining Association.
Hikoji's demeanor had shifted from gentle to intense, his eyes gleaming and cold.
"I've never seen such a large quantity of Moon Stones. Could the reports claiming Mt. Moon had no deposits be wrong?" Scar asked curiously.
"Of course not," Hikoji replied, pride creeping into his voice. "I tracked all previous Moon Stone finds in Mt. Moon. Each location coincided with meteorite impacts. Using this pattern, I scoured nearly a thousand years of Mt. Moon's history and identified dozens of meteorite impact sites. That's how we found this place."
It had been an accidental discovery; a hobby had turned into a major success.
Even Team Rocket valued this quantity of Moon Stones highly.
"Too bad I couldn't locate the legendary 'Moon Star' meteorite site—then we might have gathered even more," Hikoji sighed.
"No need to worry, Chairman. These Moon Stones are already plenty," Scar reassured him.
"I guess I was too greedy," Hikoji chuckled.
Just as they were about to continue their discussion, Hikoji's communicator vibrated.
Seeing the caller ID, he frowned and answered.
"Hello, this is Hikoji. What's the matter?"
"Chairman, someone's intruded!"
Hikoji's brow furrowed. "Intruders? How could you let that happen?!"
He felt his subordinates were useless; blocking a tunnel was such a simple task. Still, he didn't panic—it was just a few trainers. Nearly twenty Rocket members should easily handle them.
"They're too strong. We can't stop them!" came a desperate voice over the communicator.
Hikoji's heart skipped a beat.
"How strong?"
"They're using an Onix… it's terrifying," the subordinate replied.
Onix… Hikoji's mind flashed to Nozomi's face, but he remained outwardly calm. With himself and Scar, they still had two officers—enough to face him.
"How many people?"
The intruders' presence was a fact he couldn't change; he only hoped their numbers were small.
"About… thirty or forty," the subordinate stammered.
Hikoji nearly choked.
Thirty to forty people? If he weren't so old, he would've grabbed the phone and asked the caller directly: Are you insane?